Lionel Messi Misses Barcelona Training Due to Personal Reasons

Barcelona star man and four-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi was absent from training due to "personal reasons" on Monday, according to Spanish newspaper AS:

The club's official website confirmed the news, adding the squad will have Tuesday and Wednesday off before returning to training on Thursday. 

The Argentina forward has enjoyed a fine start to the new calendar year and played a massive role in Barcelona's come-from-behind win over Villarreal on Sunday, scoring the winning goal with a fantastic curling effort from outside of the box.

The Catalans and the Yellow Submarine were two of the highest scoring teams in La Liga going into the match, and fans and pundits knew odds were Sunday's clash would be a spectacular one.

The battle at Camp Nou didn't disappoint, and it likely left the protagonists battered and bruised; per AS, Neymar and Dani Alves were tasked with doing "specific work" the day after. Both were excellent on Sunday, but as shared by this fan, El Mundo Deportivo pointed out who the main catalyst behind the hosts' win was:

"

Messi 'El Genio' on the front page of @mundodeportivo today pic.twitter.com/BINomYQifo

— MESSISTATS (@MessiStats) February 2, 2015"

Striker Luis Suarez recorded an assist and was his usual, lively self, spearheading the Blaugrana attack, and according to former England international Gary Lineker, the fact so few are talking about his performance is testament to the greatness of Messi:

While it's tempting to go looking for a "juicy" explanation as to why Messi was absent from training on Monday—it is transfer deadline day in many European leagues, after all—it's far more likely the superstar was simply given the day off after yet another fantastic performance.

Messi has played the full 90 minutes in his last seven starts, all of which have come in a span of just 21 days. Those kind of heavy minutes will take their toll on everyone, and even the very best occasionally need some rest.

Stats via WhoScored.com unless otherwise noted.

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